Lower-house filibuster in fifth day

Opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies are continuing in the fifth day of a filibuster intended to block the passage of government reform bills. On Friday the parliamentarians remained in session until after midnight and began an extra-ordinary weekend session on Saturday morning. The coalition is expected to approve the possibility of another late-night session. The effort to obstruct a vote on fifteen reform bills, which were returned to the lower house by the opposition-controlled Senate, began on Tuesday morning. A vote on next year's budget proposal was allowed on Wednesday in order to avoid a provisional budget for next year.